Naked Cowboy shows kicking skills in Times Square

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Naked Cowboy of Times Square plays a mean guitar.

Turns out, he's got some kicking skills, too.

On Super Bowl Boulevard - the 13-block fan experience right through the heart of Manhattan - the popular street performer turned up at the exhibit where people can boot an extra point through an actual goal post.

On a frigid winter evening, wearing only his trademark hat, boots and white briefs, the Naked Cowboy was allowed to cut through the long line and make an attempt. With his skin red from temperatures in the 20s, he lined up the ball, stepped off to the side and knocked it right through the uprights, soccer-style.

The beer company rented out Norwegian Cruise Line's just-launched ship, Norwegian Getaway, to serve as a unique floating hotel for its Super Bowl guests.

Renamed the Bud Light Hotel, the ship is docked at Pier 88 on the icy Hudson River. Its 18 decks house 4,000 people - mostly retailers, partners and VIP guests - in 1,900 staterooms. They'll be entertained by the Foo Fighters and Zac Brown Band.

For past Super Bowls, Bud Light rented out properties in the game's host city. This is the first time it's used a ship for its sports- and music-themed parties.

For good measure, Budweiser has also taken over the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a retired military ship permanently docked at the adjacent pier.

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GOOD HUMOR MAN: Since his team missed out on the Super Bowl, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has time for other duties this week.

On Friday, he doled out soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones on Broadway, part of a whirlwind series of promotional appearances that also included meting fans at a midtown restaurant renamed ''Jets House'' for the week.

Ryan served a few hundred people for about an hour.

''Didn't drop any of 'em,'' the sure-handed Ryan said, laughing. ''But I definitely had a few leaners.''

This week has been a bit bittersweet for Ryan, who has enjoyed the spectacle of the NFL's biggest game being held in the town in which he coaches. But, it also bothers him that it's the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks playing in it and not his Jets.

''It's a bummer,'' said Ryan, who'll watch the game from home rather than at MetLife Stadium. ''What else are you going to say? Obviously, the fact it's here, you want to be a part of it. It just drives you even more and more.''

Ryan, who completed his fifth season as coach, received a contract extension after the Jets finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

Not that he's a huge fan of the dish. Knighton said he's only had it twice, once during his rookie season in Jacksonville in 2009 and again earlier this month when he took Denver's entire defensive line out to dinner.

Like any good nickname, Knighton didn't get to choose it himself. It was bestowed upon him by former teammate Clint Ingram on a flight home from Seattle his rookie year.

''It was a six-hour flight, guys are tired, plane is dark and the lady is walking down the aisle saying, 'Pot roast? Pot roast?''' Knighton recalled. ''It was either that or shrimp alfredo. So, I'm glad I got that.''

''It was either that or shrimp alfredo. So, I'm glad I got that.''

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FORECAST: So much for that frigid Super Bowl.

Sure, it's going to be cold on Sunday, but forecasters are sticking with their prediction of warmer-than-expected temperatures.

The high is expected to be 49 degrees, with the temperature dipping into the 30s after nightfall. There is an increasing chance of rain and snow in the evening - about 30 percent - but it looks as though the NFL's much-debated decision to hold an outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather city is going to pay off.